The Sky's the Limit
by Redvines1595
Summary: As Dr. Bruce Banner is on the edge of a genetic break-through, a young, new member is added to the Avengers. She tries to show him that love has no limits. o/c
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the Avengers or anything affiliated with them. I do own Ari. Enjoy!**

It was a typical day in Stark Tower. Dr. Bruce Banner was in his lab, as usual, studying genes. The billionaire, Tony Stark himself, was keeping busy in his workshop. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton sparred while Thor, god of thunder, stood by; laughing at their impertinence. Meanwhile, Steve Rodgers tried to figure out how to use the TV remote.

The voice of JARVIS resonated throughout the entire building. "Commander Fury would like to have a word with you all in the command center immediately."

Dr. Banner let out an exasperated sigh at these words. He really didn't like to stop his work when he was in the middle of something. He dropped his pencil and reluctantly left his lab' looking over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

He was the last one to arrive. Nick Fury stood at the head of the table with a young woman he had never seen before. She was short, maybe five foot two at most, and looked to be in her early twenties. She wore jeans and a navy blue hoodie; her dark brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. The girl looked nervous, scared even, as she glanced around the silent room.

"All right," Fury started. "The director thinks that you need another member on the team." He gestured to the girl standing next to him. It didn't seem like he was too happy about the new addition to the Avengers. "This, here, is Arianna-"

"It's Ari," the girl interrupted.

"Arianna Martin," Fury continued as if he was never interrupted in the first place. "A.K.A. Fathom… Now y'all play nice and get along." He left without another word.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Thor boomed. "She is nothing but a child!"

"Who're you calling a child, Barbie?" The girl snapped back.

Stark laughed at her remark. "I like this girl," he said. "Can we keep her?"

"What is a Barbie?" The Asgardian asked Agent Romanoff. The red-head rolled her eyes as he looked at her in confusion.

The super-soldier pushed his way around the two of them. "Steve Rodgers," he said, holding his hand out to the newcomer. "Welcome to the Avengers."

"Ari Martin," she replied as she shook his hand. "And thanks for welcoming me."

Ari turned to watch the rest of her new team attempt to explain to Thor what a Barbie is. Well, all but one. The dark-haired man stood in the corner of the room, seeming out of place. "Who's that in the corner?" She asked Steve.

"Dr. Bruce Banner," he answered. "But the rest of the world knows him as the Incredible Hulk."

She stared at the captain blankly. "Never heard of him."

Steve then lead Ari around the room, introducing her to each of her new comrades. He found it odd that she left the room without a word shortly after the introductions. He went after he with Dr. Banner following close behind. Banner, of course, was heading back to his lab. The super-soldier followed Ari to what seemed to be her quarters.

"Dude, stop following me," she said as she opened the door.

"Mind if I come in?" Steve asked nonchalantly. She shrugged her shoulders in response and he entered after her.

The room was fairly empty except for a bed, nightstand, dresser, and bookcase. The walls were bare and notebooks were strewn all across the hard wood floor. Steve bent over to pick one up and flipped through it. He realized that they weren't notebooks, but sketchbooks. Each page was filled with some sort of complex, detailed drawing. One page fell out onto the floor. He picked it up. It was a drawing of a girl with black wings falling out of the sky. A falling angel, perhaps? The detail was incredible. He couldn't help but notice the resemblance between this girl and Ari.

"What are you doing?" Steve looked up at the sound of Ari's voice.

"I was just-"

"Give me that!" She took the sketchbook out of his hands and picked up the rest before he could invade any more of her privacy.

"What is it you can do, exactly?" Steve asked her as she put her sketchbooks into one of the drawers of her dresser. Ari didn't answer. Steve thought it would be best to leave her on her own for a while and left without a sound. She didn't know he was gone until she turned around.

Ari yawned. The long trip to New York City had left her drained and exhausted. She practically threw herself down on the bed and attempted to fall asleep.

She opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock that rested on her nightstand. She had only slept for twenty minutes. As Ari laid her head back down on the pillow, she became restless. She had to get up and walk around before she started bouncing off the walls.

Ari Sat back up in bed, fixed her hair quickly, and let her socked feet lead the way. She wandered around the massive tower, using the stairs rather than the elevator, until something caught her eye. On the other side of the glass door was Dr. Banner. Obviously, she had found his lab.

"What are you working on?" She asked as she entered.

Dr. Banner turned around, surprised to see the young new member of the Avengers standing in the middle of his laboratory. There was something about her that made him uneasy. He didn't know what, but he knew to trust his gut when it came to things like this.

"I'm studying genetic mutations," he answered he question at last.

"Cool," she said. "Want another sample to test?" The doctor just stared at her, confused. Ari walked over to a table with an expensive looking microscope sitting on it. "Are these slides clean?" She asked, holding one up. Banner nodded. "What about this?" She held up and extremely sharp-looking scalpel. Again, he nodded warily.

Before he could stop her, Ari poked her index finger with the tip of the scalpel until she bled. She picked up a clean slide and let a single drop of blood fall onto it. She set it down on the table and brought her finger to her lips in order to stop the bleeding.

"So, I'm guessing you're here because you're somehow genetically altered?" Banner asked her.

"That would be a good guess."

He ignored Ari's blunt answer. "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you, exactly?"

"Twenty-six," she answered quickly. Dr. Banner raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes. "Twenty-two."

"Stop lying to me, Ms. Martin."

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. Finally, Ari said, "I'm nineteen."

Banner ran a hand through his already messy, dark hair. "Why would Fury let a kid like you put herself in danger like this?"

"He was going to put me in when I was twenty-one anyways," Ari replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated. "SHIELD has been training me since I was thirteen."

"So, you're basically just another one of SHIELD's super-soldiers?"

"Basically," Ari replied. "So, Dr. Banner, now that I've told you part of my story, what's yours?"

"When I'm angry I turn into a giant green monster. There's not much else to it."

"And you're studying genetic mutations in hope that you'll find a way to get rid of the Hulk?"

Banner said nothing and went back to his work. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Like Fury said, the director wanted another member on the team."

He laughed a little. "I meant, what are you doing in my lab?"

"Oh." Ari smiled nervously. Banner couldn't help but notice that her entire face lit up when she did. "I just wanted to know what you were working on… I've always found science interesting."

Banner looked back down at his work. When he looked up again, Ari was gone. There was something intriguing about her. The uneasiness that came when she had entered the lab had left as soon as she began to open up to him.

Curiosity got the best of him. He went over to the lab table with the microscope on it. The slide with Ari's blood on it sat next to the microscope along with the bloody scalpel. Banner carefully picked up the slide and put it under the microscope. He bent down and looked through the lens. Once he had focused in on the blood cells, he stood back up. Not only did he see the round, circular _human_ blood cells, but something else as well. The oval blood cells of a bird.

"She's part bird?" Dr. Banner asked out loud, perplexed. "That doesn't make any sense!"

He bent back down to look at the sample again; to make sure he wasn't just seeing things or going insane. The bird cells were still present amongst the human cells.

Banner took off his black wire-framed glasses and practically threw them down on the table as he ran out of the laboratory. He didn't know why, but he knew that he needed to get some answers out of Ari.


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Banner searched the entire floor for Ari. He ran into Tony, who hadn't seen her either. Then he remembered the one person who would know where she is. "JARVIS, can you tell me where Ari Martin is?" He asked the computer.

"Ms. Martin is in the training room, sir," the automated voice replied.

Banner took the elevator down two floors.. After exiting the elevator, he walked across the hall and entered the training room. Thor had beaten him there.

"Arianna Martin!" The Asgardian boomed. "You have insulted me and you have insulted my honor. Therefore, we must fight!"

_Looks like he finally figured out what a Barbie is,_ Banner thought to himself.

Ari dropped down from the rafters in the ceiling. She walked right up to the god. He towered over her. "Did you ever think that maybe you insulted me as well?"

Thor contemplated her question. "You are right. I ask for your forgiveness."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay," she said. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you, Arianna," he said with a barely noticeable bow.

She rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you people? My name is Ari."

"Very well," Thor laughed. "Thank you, Ari." The god then turned around and left the training room, his red cape billowing behind him as he walked. He didn't even acknowledge Dr. Banner, who watched as he left the room.

When Banner looked back, Ari was gone. He looked up towards the ceiling, remembering that she is part bird. There she was, sitting on the rafters.

"I'm guessing you've figured it out?" She called down to him.

"You're part bird," Banner stated.

Ari jumped down from the rafters and landed right in front of him. "Something like that." She smiled mischievously. "Want me to show you?"

"How?"

Her smiled widened. "Follow me," she said. Ari walked past him and stopped at the door. "What part of 'follow me' don't you get?"

Everything in Banner's head was screaming "don't do it!" However, there was a small part that told him to follow her. He cautiously chose to listen to that small part. Ari waited for him at the door.

Together, they entered the elevator and Ari pressed the button that would take them up to the roof. The doors opened on the roof and Ari stepped out. Again, Dr. Banner hesitated.

"Come on," Ari said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the elevator. Still holding his hand, she lead him to the roof's edge.

The view was amazing; breathtaking. The setting sun lay behind the New York City skyline, turning the sky a soft pink. Down below them, the busy streets seemed silent, insignificant.

Ari let go of Banner's hand and took a few steps forward; her toes hanging over the edge. She looked back over her shoulder to see his reaction. _Worried_, she thought. _He looks worried._ Then, without hesitation, she stepped off the edge and fell.

"Ari!" Banner yelled even though he knew what was going to happen next.

All of a sudden, something black as night shot up out of the sky. It came so close to the edge of the building that Banner fell forward in surprise.

He was falling, falling; fighting the monster inside that was trying to break free. Something slammed into him and grabbed him around the waist. Banner looked up. It was Ari. Her larger black wings cast a shadow over the city below as she flew. She wove in between the immense skyscrapers before circling back to Stark Tower.

She slowed down just enough to gently drop Dr. Banner over the roof of the massive tower. He landed on his feet, almost falling face first before regaining his balance. He watching in awe as Ari circled around once more and landed on the opposite side of the roof. She curled up her magnificent black wings against her back and put on her navy blue sweatshirt. Her ponytail had fallen out during the flight; her dark brown hair was blown around in the wind.

Banner took a step towards her was he saw that she was coming towards him as well. "I'm sorry," Ari apologized. "I wasn't trying to knock you over."

"No, it's okay… Hell, it's more than okay," Banner said. "That was… That was incredible! I've never felt anything like it."

She smiled at him and, once again, took his hand to lead him back to the elevator. They went two floors down; back to Banner's laboratory.

"What was your favorite part?" Ari asked as she sat down on a stool that was in front of the table he was working at.

"Excuse me?" He put his glasses back on after checking to make sure that he hadn't chipped or cracked them.

"My favorite part is always the fall. I just like the feeling of having nothing under me and nothing above."

"Well, for me, that was probably the worst part," Banner laughed nervously.

"You'll get used to it." Ari got up from the stool and headed towards the door. Before exiting, she turned around to say, "If you ever want another go, don't be afraid to ask." Then, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve Rodgers was in the training room. With his hands taped up, he hit the punching bag with such force that the chain holding it up broke and it flew backwards. It's the only solution he was able to come up with in order to refrain from hitting Tony every time he made a stupid comment.

He didn't even hear her come in. "Wouldn't it be more interesting to fight a _person_ rather than an inanimate object?"

Steve ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Are you volunteering?" He turned around to see Ari taking off her sweatshirt. Her white tank-top was covered in grass stains for some reason and her dark hair hung in a mess past her shoulders.

She put her fists up in front of her and took up a fighting stance. Steve walked up to her. "I normally don't like to fight women."

"Make an exception," she prodded.

Steve finally decided to give in. "Ladies first." He soon regretted letting her throw the first punch. Ari had hit him so hard that he staggered backward. His nose bled.

She raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him. Steve wiped the blood off his face and put his fists up. He threw a punch at her. She dodged. She threw a punch at him. He dodged. It went back and forth like that for a while until both Ari and him were sweating and grinning. Then Ari nailed Steve in the chest with a round-house kick; knocking him over.

"I have to admit," he said after he had caught his breath, "you're pretty good."

"Thanks," Ari replied. She held her hand out to Steve and helped him up. "You're not too bad yourself, captain."

"Arianna, you don't need to call me-"

"When you start calling me Ari, I'll start calling you Steve. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Steve replied. She dramatically rolled her eyes at him. She picked up her sweatshirt from where she had left it, put it on quickly, and left the training room; leaving the super-soldier behind.

Ari went up a floor to find what seemed to be some sort of entertainment center. A plush black couch, love seat, and reclining chair were all positioned strategically around the large plasma screen TV. Around the corner, she found exactly what she was looking for: the kitchen. She hadn't eaten anything since the day before.

Just then, Ari heard the elevator doors open. She peeked back to see her new teammates enter with a strawberry-blonde woman she had never seen before. "What's going on?" Ari asked as she watched them all take a seat in front of the television.

"Movie night," Tony Stark stated bluntly. While most of the Avengers looked excited, Natasha Romanoff didn't look amused. It wasn't until then that Ari noticed Dr. Banner hadn't entered the room with them.

"You must be Arianna," the strawberry-blonde woman said. "I'm Pepper Po-"

"Stop," Ari interrupted. "Just stop… If one more person in this place calls me 'Arianna,' I'm gonna go all psycho maniac on your asses."

Everyone stared up at her blankly. Tony, however, gave her a thumbs-up. "I find that hard to believe." Dr. Banner stood behind her.

Ari sighed exasperatedly and went back into the kitchen without another word. She dug around in the fridge, looking for something to eat. She knew he was there. "Why are you so against people calling you by your full name?" Banner questioned her.

She didn't respond until she pulled her head out of the refrigerator. "I don't want to talk about it," Ari said simply.

Dr. Banner raised an eyebrow at her. "So, you'll tell me that you have bird DNA, but you won't tell me why you don't like your name?"

"I said drop it, Banner!" She snapped as she turned around to face him.

"You know what? You're right. It's none of my business. You don't have to tell me anything."

Ari grabbed a bag of potato chips off the counter. "Exactly." She pushed her way around him. As she walked past the rest of the Avengers, Pepper looked over her shoulder and smiled sympathetically at Ari. Ari didn't acknowledge her.

She easily found her way back to her quarters. Ari pulled a sketchbook and pencil out of the dresser and sat down on the edge of her bed. For some reason, she liked to draw when she was frustrated or upset. That's when she created her best work.

Completely ignoring the bag of chips she brought, Ari began to draw. She started off with light pencil strokes, gently outlining her subjects. As abstract shapes became more complex forms, figures came into view. Two people to be exact. One was a girl. Her black wings were spread open and her dark hair blew in the wind. The soft contours of her body contrasted perfectly with the man standing across from her. The man was much taller than the girl. He stood rigidly and looked down at her with concern.

When she had finished, Ari realized just exactly what she had drawn. It was her and Dr. Banner, _Bruce_ her mind whispered, on the roof of Stark Tower. They stood across from each other, holding hands. The detail was extraordinary. Even Ari was impressed by her work. She had perfectly replicated every detail, from the delicate feathers on her outspread wings to the soft stubble on Banner's chin.

Ari laid back on her bed and admired her work. Something about it made her smile. It was probably the fact that she and Banner were holding hands. "This is ridiculous," Ari said as she threw her sketchbook over the side of the bed, not caring if she had damaged it. However, the longer she thought about it, the less ridiculous it actually seemed. She sat up and massaged her temples. "Stop it, Ari!" She scolded herself. "You can't afford to think like that!"

Ari remembered why she had come here… She remembered her mission.

When she was sixteen, Nick Fury interrupted one of Ari's training sessions. He, along with Agent Coulson, briefed Ari on her task. Her mission was to keep the Avengers in line, to spy on them.

Although the Avengers were not brought together until less than a year ago, Ari had been training for this mission for the past three years. She was taught everything she needed to know about each member of the team and the people they were close to. She knew who they were and what they could do. How to push their buttons. What their strengths were and, most importantly, their weaknesses.

There was no way that Ari was going to let her emotions get in the way of her mission. She only had to last for three months. Then, she could leave SHIELD and the Avengers and never look back.


	4. Chapter 4

Dr. Banner was in his lab, working well into the night. Using his own DNA, he attempted to separate the monster from the human. Every time he had tried in the past, something went wrong. This time, however, nothing happened at all.

He ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "Why won't this work?" Banner asked the silence. Everything had been falling into place just a few days ago. But, all of a sudden, he had drawn a blank. His calculations were inaccurate and he didn't know why.

_I'm distracted_, Banner thought to himself. _That has to be it._ But what was distracting him? He knew exactly what it was. Or, rather, _who_ it was. Ari. There was just something about her that distracted him. Yes, she was attractive, young, and vibrant, but there was something else as well. She radiated mystery; the kind of mystery you don't know if you can trust for sure. She was somewhat flirtatious and was always asking questions. She was stubborn and outspoken. Confident and dangerous. And, on top of all that, she had wings. Big, beautiful, ebony black wings.

The memory of their flight entered Banner's thoughts. He distinctly remembered the terrifying sensation of falling. Once he was in the safety of Ari's arms, he was actually able to enjoy the flight. Everything below them had seemed so small and beyond their reach. The adrenaline had still coursed through him after Ari had carefully dropped him off on the roof.

_Focus, Bruce_, he told himself. _Focus!_ No matter how many times he scolded himself for letting his mind wander back to Ari, Banner still couldn't seem to get any of his work done. Annoyed with himself, he went back to his quarters and tried to get some sleep. However, he still couldn't seem to get her off his mind.

Even though they had just met that very day, Banner felt like he had known Ari for months, maybe even years. Being around her made him forget about the monster inside him. She made him feel calm and at ease, rather than angry and tense.

There was a knock at Banner's window. The sound of it confused him at first because he was on the twelfth floor. He pulled off the blankets and slowly got out of bed, his joints cracking as he did. He opened the curtain just in time to see two socked feet rise up into the sky. It must have been Ari's way of getting him up to the roof.

Banner slipped a pair of grey sneakers over his bare feet, quietly exited his room, and made his way to the nearest elevator. When the stainless steel doors opened, he stepped inside and pressed the button that would take him up to the roof. He impatiently waited for the doors to open.

There was a high pitched "ding!" as the elevator doors opened at last. As Banner stepped out into the silver light of the full moon, his eyes searched the rooftop for any sign of Ari. When he finally came to the conclusion that she wasn't on the roof, he looked up to the skies. Eventually, Banner realized that she wasn't there. _I'm hallucinating, _Banner settled. _I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, so now I'm hallucinating._

Yawning loudly, he took the elevator back down to the twelfth floor. Banner stepped out of the elevator and turned left down the hallway. He turned the doorknob and tiredly entered his room.

As he climbed into bed, Banner noticed something on his nightstand: a rolled up piece of paper with a thin red ribbon tied around it. When he picked it up, something long and dark fell from inside it. He reached his hand down to the floor and picked up the fallen object. It was a single black feather. _Ari_, Banner thought to himself. Maybe he hadn't been hallucinating?

He eagerly pulled off the ribbon and unrolled the pale white piece of paper. A single word was written austerely and neatly across it: Sorry. The simple message momentarily puzzled Banner.

_She has no reason to apologize_, he thought to himself. _Maybe she feels bad about snapping at me earlier?_ He contradicted. _But, then again, I'm the one who started it in the first place. It should be me apologizing, not her. _No matter the reason for Ari's apology, Banner appreciated the effort.

He put the paper and feather aside on his nightstand. Then, he laid back and finally went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Banner went to his lab and continued his work. He brought Ari's feather with him and hung it up on the bulletin board on the wall. He would glance up at it every so often throughout the day, remembering the flight from the night before.

The day went by fairly quick. Banner tested so many different theories that he didnt even notice missing lunch. He finally decided to take a break around 5:00 P.M. He went up to the kitchen, got something to eat, and went back to his lab.

Through the transparent glass panels of the door, Banner found an unexpected guest looking into one of the microscopes he was currently working with. "I didn't expect to see you here," he said as he entered the laboratory.

"I see you got my message," Ari said, motioning towards the feather on the wall.

"Yeah, would you mind explaining that?"

"Some things are better left unsaid." Ari laughed. "Gosh, that sounds like it came right out of a fortune cookie."

Banner rolled his eyes at her. "So, what are you doing here, anyways?"

"I was bored and Steve didn't want to spar with me again after I kicked his butt last night."

"Oh, so I'm your second choice?"

"If that's how you want to put it," Ari joked. "Are you still working on separating genetic mutations?"

"Yeah," Banner replied.

"Have you had any luck?"

"No."

"Well, that sucks…"

Ari stood next to him, awkwardly peering over his shoulder. Neither of them bothered to say anything for the longest time. It was like they were just enjoying each other's company.

Finally, Banner broke the silence. "You know you had nothing to apologize for, right?"

"I felt bad for yelling at you…" Ari said simply. Just as he had suspected.

"It's fine. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you."

"Can we just not talk about it anymore?"

Banner nodded. "So… What have you been up to today?"

"Not much… I did some drawing. I've been waiting for it to get darker out so I can go flying."

"You're an artist?"

"Something like that," Ari answered.

"Do you have any of your drawings on you?"

"Actually," she said as she reached for something on the other side of him, "I have the tendency to carry this around with me." She handed her sketchbook to Banner and pushed him aside so she could look into the microscope.

As he flipped through her various drawings, Banner came across one in particular that piqued his interest. In it were two people. A young woman who was obviously Ari, and a man who looked strangely like Banner. They were holding hands.

Ari looked up from the microscope to see Banner looking at her latest work. She grabbed for it, trying to take it away from him, but he held it out of her reach. "Damn it, Banner! Give it back!"

"You know, this is pretty good," Banner mused. "You even got my nose right."

"Bruce," she said sternly. He looked over at her at the sound of his name. "Please give it back."

As he reluctantly handed the sketchbook back to her, he said, "Would you mind explaining to me what that was exactly?"

Ari bit her lip. "I tend to recreate… memories. Instead of taking pictures, I draw. It's just what I've always done."

"Okay… That still doesn't explain why you chose _that_ particular moment."

"It's not so much that I _choose_ what I'm drawing. It just comes to me. Half the time, I don't even remember drawing it."

"That's… well, for lack of a better word, weird, Banner said.

"'Weird' basically sums up my life."

"It basically sums up everyone in this building." Ari laughed at his remark.

She looked out the window just in time to see the last of the sunset. The sky was purple and the moon shone up above. "I should probably go," Ari said, motioning towards the window.

"You're going to go stretch your wings?" Banner asked her.

"I suppose you could put it that way… Do you want to come with?" She added quickly.

"No, that's fine. You go ahead without me."

"Are you sure? I promise I won't drop you or anything."

"Really, Ari. It's fine. I've got some things I can do around here," Banner said.

Ari sighed dramatically. "Okay. I'm gonna go, then… See you later."

"Bye," he said as she left the laboratory. Banner stared at the door even after she was gone. Once he realized what he was doing, though, he went back to his work.

After a short while, Banner could no longer resist the temptation to look out the window. He turned around to see the beautiful New York City skyline. Then, he saw something dark floating across the sky. Banner recognized the soft contours of Ari's figure as she flew, graceful in the arms of an updraft. Then he sighed and turned back to his work.


	6. Chapter 6

For the next few weeks, Banner would come into his lab in the morning to find Ari already there, sketchbook in hand. She would draw while he worked.

Some days, Ari would even go to the training room to spar with Steve or Natasha (mostly Steve, though). She had a tough time keeping up with Agent Romanoff, but she managed to hold her own anyways. Steve, on the other hand, was fairly easy for her to beat. Yes, he was a pretty good fighter, but Ari was better.

One day, she was in the middle of kicking Steve's ass when the siren when off. They had been called on the first mission since Ari had joined the Avengers. Together, Steve and Ari ran to the armory and got into their uniforms. Steve went in and emerged a minute later in red, white, and blue as Captain America. Ari's suit was much simpler. It consisted of the standard blue SHIELD uniform with two slits cut into the back for her wings.

When they were assembled with the rest of the team, Ari noticed that Banner was the only one who hadn't changed. _He should create a pair of pants that will stretch and shrink with his transformations_, she thought to herself.

As the Avengers marched down the evacuated streets of New York City, they finally came across what had terrorized the civilians. A mediocre sized battalion of strange, bug-like creatures.

"Not these guys again," Ironman said.

Ari knew she had seen these creatures before. They were the aliens that the Avengers had fought when they were first assembled. The very same ones that Thor's brother, Loki, had descended upon the city. Apparently, some had been left behind (or survived) and they regrouped in order to plan a second attack.

Battle cries were sounded as the aliens charged the seven Avengers, who held their ground, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. "Now!" The captain shouted just in time before Banner could no longer hold back the beast inside of him.

The seams of his shirt burst as his entire body began to swell and grow. Banner's pale skin rapidly turned to bright green. The Hulk had broken free at last.

He turned towards the oncoming army. Enraged, he charged towards them and began to smash them, one by one, with his huge, boulder-like fists.

"Someone's angrier than usual," Hawkeye said as he quickly loaded his bow and shot one of the aliens right in the eye.

"Fathom," the captain said. Ari faced him at the sound of her code name. "I need you to be our eye in the sky. Look around to see if they have any reinforcements on the way."

"Yes, sir," Ari said as she shot up into the sky.

She flew over the city in search of more alien soldiers. "The streets are clear, Captain. It doesn't look like they have any reinforcements."

"Good… I know I just sent you up there, but we could really use your help down here."

"I'm on my way." Ari flew over to the battlefield, if that's what you want to call it, and dove towards the ground. She quickly pulled up as she caught hold of one of the aliens. Holding it by its feet, she spun around and around until she finally let go, launching the alien up into the sky.

Ari flew downwards and landed gracefully in between Thor and Captain America. Hawkeye and the Black Widow were each fighting off three of the aliens while Ironman zapped some from up above. The Hulk, of course, was still smashing away.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked the captain.

"They're retreating," he replied, not exactly answering her question.

"They are nothing but cowards!" Thor marched forward, hammer in hand, and began to yell at the aliens, practically begging them to take him on.

"It looks like they've realized that they won't be able to win this fight," Ari said.

"Someone had better tell that to the big guy," Tony said as he landed in front of them.

"I'll take care of it." Ari flew over towards the green monster and hovered in front of him while he continued to smash more and more of the aliens. "Bruce," she called out to him. "Bruce!"

The Hulk looked at her for a second, then let out a loud roar. He obviously wasn't done smashing the aliens just yet.

"Bruce, you need to stop!" Ari pleaded with him. "Please! Calm down!" Yelling at him wasn't the greatest idea in the world.

The Hulk momentarily turned his attention to the winged young woman. He back-handed Ari so hard that she went flying backward into the brick wall of the building behind her. She heard a great _crack!_ as she hit the wall. Excruciating pain swelled all throughout her left arm. Then, everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Ari woke up, staring at the blank ceiling of her bedroom. She had no idea how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was flying, then a flash of green. It all started coming back to her.

She winced in pain as she sat up in her bed. Her arm was wrapped up and in a sling.

As Ari, got out of bed, she looked at the red numbers on her alarm clock: 2:00 in the morning. _Great_, she thought to herself. _There's no way that anyone is going to be up at this hour._ She pulled the door open, sighing exasperatedly as she did, and left the dark room.

She easily found her way up to the kitchen and got herself an ice cold glass of water. "Look who's up!" Ari gasped as she turned around, almost dropping her glass on the hard wood floor. It was Tony. "How's your shoulder?" He reached into the fridge and pulled out a can of root beer. At least, that's what she thought it was.

"It hurts like hell," Ari answered after getting over her initial shock. "Do you know what's wrong with it?"

"It's shattered," Tony stated.

"Oh. Okay… What happened after I blacked out?"

"Well," he began, "Banner de-Hulked and freaked out once he realized what he'd done to you. Then, he refused to let anyone but him carry you back to the infirmary. He put on a pair of pants before that, of course." Ari raised an eyebrow at him. Her look clearly said, _was it absolutely necessary for you to tell me that?_ "The doc checked you over and told everyone about your shoulder. Then, everyone went on their way."

"What about Banner?" Ari asked. "You didn't leave him alone, did you?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Damn it, Tony! He's probably gonna do something stupid!"

Ari bolted out of the kitchen and ran as fast as she could, without aggravating her shoulder, to Banner's room. She banged on the door a couple of times before walking in, warning him that she was coming.

There he was, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He hung his head, not daring to look at her. The guilt he felt overwhelmed him.

Slowly, Ari approached and knelt down next to Banner. "Bruce," she said softly. "Look at me." He didn't even blink an eye. "Bruce, please." Banner slowly lifted his head, cautiously meeting her eyes. It looked like he had been crying. His eyes were puffy and red. "You didn't do anything to yourself, did you?" Her voice was barely a whisper. He shook his head in response. Ari sat down next to him and gently rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't blame you for what happened. You had no control over it."

"Ari," Banner choked, "I could have killed you."

"But you didn't… I'm okay and you're okay and that's all that really matters."

"You're not okay," he said. "I hurt you."

"I've been through worse. And, besides, I'm a fast healer."

"You are?"

"I broke my leg once," Ari replied. "It was fully healed in two weeks."

"That's pretty fast," Banner said monotonously.

"Yes, it is." Ari sat up suddenly and looked Banner in the eyes. "Promise me that, no matter what happens, you won't do anything stupid."

"Define stupi-"

"Bruce. I'm serious."

He sighed and subconsciously took Ari's hand. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"Good…"

They just sat there like that for a while, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Without even thinking, Ari closed the gap between them and gently pressed her lips to his. The kiss took Banner by surprise. He returned the kiss for only a moment before pulling away. "Ari," he whispered. "We can't."

"Why not?" Her face was innocent, yet serious.

"You're only ninete-"

"Twenty," Ari interrupted him. "My birthday was last weekend."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Banner asked.

"I didn't think it was important," she said simply.

"But still, you're-" His sentence was cut short by Ari, once again pressing her lips to his. This time, however the kiss was intensified by Banner himself. Just when Ari was beginning to think she was getting through to him, he pulled away again. "Ari, we can't. I'm twice your age."

"I don't care about that."

"Well, I do! I'm old enough to be your father!"

Ari stood up, carefully cradling her injured arm as she did. "What part of 'I don't care' don't you understand?" Banner looked up at her apologetically. "When you think of a good enough reason, come find me. But, until then, I'm not giving up on us." With that, she left the room; leaving Banner alone in the dark.


	8. Chapter 8

Agent Romanoff had been wary of Ari since the moment she had joined the Avengers. Something just didn't seem right about her. She was hiding something and Natasha was determined to find out exactly what it was.

Silently, the Black Widow moved with the shadows, swiftly making her way to the command center. There she would be able to find Ari's SHIELD file.

A soft _thud_ came from the wall on her right. Natasha directed her gaze toward the noise. Illuminated by the faint, silver moonlight, a steel arrow stuck out of the wall next to her.

"Really, Clint?" Natasha whispered. "Was that absolutely necessary?"

Agent Barton stepped out of the darkness of the hallway. "You're the one sneaking around at three in the morning, Tash. She rolled her eyes at him and started to walk away. "What are you up to anyways?"

Natasha turned around, grabbed Clint's arm and pulled him into the nearest janitor's closet. "There's something up with Martin," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Something's just not right about her."

"What? Are your 'spider senses' tingling?" Clint asked sarcastically. She shot him a death glare. "I was only kidding! So, what? You were going to break into the command center to get a look at her file?" Natasha stayed silent. "I'm coming with you."

Together, they quietly made their way down to the command center. Hawkeye tried the door, but it was locked. The only way to get in would be to use a special key code. However, only certain people, important people, could get in after hours.

Agent Romanoff went over to the key pad on the wall and began to punch in a five digit code. "I sure hope this is right," she muttered under her breath. The little light on the door turned from yellow to green. She quickly opened the door.

"Who's code did you steal?" Clint asked her.

"I didn't _steal_ anything… I memorized it."

"Okay, then… Who's code did you _memorize_?"

"Fury's," she replied with a smirk.

"Well done…"

They walked into the command center and headed straight for the big, black filing cabinets at the back of the room. Natasha opened the drawer that was labeled L through N. The two of them dug through the hundreds of manila folders until they came across three that were all labeled "Martin," two of which were labeled "Martin, A."

Clint pulled out the first file. It was, indeed, Ari's. "I believe this is what you were looking for," he said as he handed the folder over to Natasha.

Without any hesitation, she took it from him, opened it, and began to read. Clint peered over her shoulder to read it as well. There wasn't much in the file, but there was just enough information to confirm Natasha's suspicions.


	9. Chapter 9

Steve Rodgers could sense her frustration as soon as she entered the training room. She looked tired and paler than usual. Her dark hair was hastily thrown up in a messy bun. She walked right up to the punching bag and began beating it with her good arm over and over again.

"Rough night?" He asked her.

"Is it that obvious?" Ari replied.

Steve laughed a little at her response. "How's your arm?"

"Fine, I guess… I'm on so much medication that I can barely feel it."

"Have you talked to Banner yet?"

"Why on earth would you leave him alone like that?" She countered.

"I didn't think it would be a problem," he said almost questioning.

"Leaving him alone with his thoughts is one of the worst possible things you could do!" Ari hit the punching bag so hard that the chain holding it up was ripped from the ceiling. Dust and small bits of plaster landed right in front of her.

"That's quite an arm you've got there."

"You should see how strong my other one is."

"I'm sure that it's equally impressive."

Leaving the mess behind her, Ari ignored Steve's last comment and left the training room without another word. Steve sighed and put it in his pile of broken and busted punching bags then hooked a new one on. He started punching.

* * *

She went back to her room and tried to get some sleep. She had been restless after her encounter with Banner the night before.

As she laid in her bed, unsuccessfully trying to get some sleep, Ari finally decided to go for a walk. She, of course, grabbed her sketchbook and a pencil before leaving. _You never know when you might get inspired_, she thought to herself. She was so deep in thought that she paid no attention to where she was going and let her feet lead the way.

Finally breaking away from her thoughts, Ari stopped. She found herself only a few feet away from Dr. Banner's laboratory. She hesitantly peeked through the glass door. Banner wasn't there.

Ari slowly pulled open the door and walked in. She didn't really care if he caught her. She would just come up with some sort of excuse for why she was there. Ari set her sketchbook down on the table and tucked her pencil behind her ear.

She picked up some of the random charts and papers that were lying around and read them to herself, trying to look busy. She didn't even look up when she heard the door open and close. "One of your calculations is wrong," Ari said simply.

"Really? Which one?" Banner took the papers from her.

"That one right there." She pointed at one of the complex equations.

Sure enough, Banner realized that she was right. He scolded himself for his stupid mistake and directed his eyes towards Ari's sketchbook. She didn't protest when he picked it up and began looking through it. _Maybe there's something that she wants me to see?_ He thought to himself.

To his surprise, Banner came across very detailed, very realistic drawing of Agent Phil Coulson. He held it up for Ari to see. "Do you have a thing for older men or something?" He joked.

Ari bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment. "It's not like that," she sighed.

"Well, that's how it looks to me. I mean, you've even got the dates of his birth and death on here."

She took the sketchbook from him and closed it quickly. "I knew you wouldn't understand," she said as she walked away. Actually, it was more like she ran away.

Feeling guilty, Banner went up to her room, hoping she would be there so that he could apologize. He lightly tapped on her door. "Ari?" He turned the doorknob and slowly pushed it open.

There she was, curled up in a ball on her bed. Banner sat down on the edge of Ari's bed and gently took her cold hand. "Hey," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

Ari slowly sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. When he saw that she was crying, Banner pulled her close to him, trying to comfort her. "I did love him," Ari managed to get out, "just not in the way that you're thinking."

"What do you mean?" Banner asked her, perplexed.

He felt her sob as more and more tears fell from her storm grey eyes. She quickly wiped them away and rested her head on his chest. Finally, Ari came up with the courage to tell him the one thing that she's been wanting to tell him for a while now. "Agent Coulson was my father," she said.

Banner didn't know how to respond. Should he tell her that he's sorry for her loss? Should he stay silent. Should he tell her that everything is going to be all right? He just didn't know.

"You don't have to say anything," Ari said as if she was reading his thoughts. "I don't expect you to."

"What if I want to but I just can't think of what to say?"

"That's fine too, I guess." Ari had finally stopped crying.

"Are you okay?" Banner asked her.

"I am now," she answered with a slight smile.

Ari closed her eyes as Banner gently kissed her forehead. Then, he slowly moved down to kiss her nose. Finally, to her surprise, he kissed her lips. She returned it without any hesitation.

Not being able to hold in her smile any longer, Ari reluctantly pulled away. "What?" Banner asked, confused.

"Nothing. It's just…" Ari laughed a little. "I think I actually got through to you."

"Ari-"

"Don't deny it, Bruce. You obviously feel something too."

"Just because I might possibly 'feel something,' it doesn't necessarily mean that we can be together," Banner countered. "I mean, what is the rest of the team going to think?"

"Does it even matter? If they really cared, they would just be happy for us. Heck, we don't even have to tell them if we don't want to."

Banner pondered over her suggestion. Would they be able to keep their "relationship" a secret from the rest of the Avengers? Was it even possible?

Banner didn't even need words to give her his answer. He just leaned in and kissed her again. Ari gladly returned it. She honestly didn't care if they were caught


	10. Chapter 10

Banner spent the night in Ari's room. They would take turns watching each other sleep. He only wanted to make sure that they weren't caught. Ari, on the other hand, liked watching his chest rise and fall as he slept, snoring lightly. Part of it was just that she was having a hard time getting to sleep.

* * *

Banner was gone when Ari woke up the next morning. The lack of a note or some sort of explanation almost led her to believe that the night before had been a dream.

She climbed out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans, a grey tank top, and a green sweatshirt. She would shower after getting something to eat.

Ari went up to the kitchen. She pulled out a bowl. A gallon of milk, and a box of cereal. Bowl in hand, she sat down on one of the stools at the counter and ate her breakfast. When she had finished, Ari put her empty bowl in the sink and went back to her room to shower.

Showering is a difficult thing to do when your shoulder is shattered. She couldn't move it without it hurting. She couldn't touch it either. Ari had to wash herself with one hand. The pain made her feel thankful that she was a fast healer.

Ari got dressed and threw her hair up in a ponytail. Then, she grabbed her sketchbook and headed off towards Banner's laboratory. Just as she had suspected, he was busy at work. "Hello, there," she said, smiling as she entered the lab.

"Hey," Banner said, happy to see her, but he still hated seeing her arm in that blue and white sling. He had done that to her and he would never forgive himself for it.

"What's wrong?" Ari asked with concern.

"Nothing," Banner lied. "What will you be working on today?" He pointed at her sketchbook.

"I'll know when it come to me," she said simply. Ari took a seat on the stool across from Banner and opened her sketchbook to a fresh, blank page. She took the pencil out from behind her ear and began to make light pencil strokes on the paper.

"What was your dad like?" Banner asked randomly. "I didn't know him very well."

Ari stopped drawing for a moment and smiled slightly. "My dad was my best friend," she said. "He was the one person who always believed in me even when no one else did… He taught me everything I know and made me who I am today." Tears started to form in her eyes. "Then he had that weird obsession with Captain America," she laughed a little at this. One year for Christmas I got him a mint condition Captain America action figure; still in the original packaging and everything. You should have seen the look on his face when he unwrapped it…" Ari wiped her eyes.

"He sounds like a great guy," Banner said as he put his arm around Ari in an attempt to comfort her.

"He was," she smiled.

Banner kissed her forehead before letting go of her. He went back to his work and Ari began to draw some more.

When she was finished, Ari showed her drawing to Banner. It was a picture of him looking in a microscope. "I think I'm going to call it 'In His Natural Habitat,'" she said.

Banner laughed. "That's pretty good."

Ari picked up her pencil again. She neatly wrote the title across the bottom of the page and signed her name in the corner. Then, she ripped it out of her sketchbook and hung it up on the bulletin board, right next to the black feather that she had given him on her first night in Stark Tower.

Ari turned back around to face Banner. He smiled as he rolled his eyes and shook his head before going back to work.

Banner felt two arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind. "All you ever do is work," Ari said as she rested her head on his shoulder blade.

"Watch your arm," he said, turning around.

"It doesn't hurt very much," she lied.

Banner took her arms from around his waist, careful not to hurt her anymore than he already has, and held her hand in his. "Please don't lie to me."

"Then stop being so cautious around me," Ari said softly.

"I just don't want to hurt you anymore."

"You won't." Ari smiled. She leaned up on the tips of her toes and gently pressed her lips against his.

Banner welcomed the kiss. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ari reached her good arm up to the back of his neck and ran her slender fingers through his dark hair. She grabbed on to his grey button-down shirt with her other hand. Ari didn't want it to end.

* * *

Natasha Romanoff was very good at being in the right place and the right time. Or, at least, that's how she saw it.

She was on her way to the lab to talk to Dr. Banner about Ari. He had been spending a lot of time with her lately and Natasha thought he should know of her treachery.

Agent Romanoff was about to pull open the glass door but stopped at what she saw. Ari and Banner's secret kiss. It seems like they were better friends than the agent originally thought.


	11. Chapter 11

Weeks had past and Ari's shoulder had fully healed at last. Banner, of course, was still very cautious with her. No matter how many times Ari tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, he wouldn't listen.

Ari was staying in Banner's room one night. She had just finished changing into her pajamas when she collapsed on his bed, exhausted from the day.

She rolled onto her side to face Banner. "How was your day?" Ari asked. He was about to respond when she said, "Wait. Don't tell me. You were in the lab, working on more genetic mutation stuff, weren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Banner smirked. "What about you? How was your day?"

"Pretty good, I guess… I trained with Steve and Tony for a while. Then, Thor came in and told me that I was blocking wrong, so I got a demonstration from him. And I even managed to get a flight in."

"It sounds like you had an eventful day."

"Oh, it's about to get even better," Ari said with a sly smile.

"Why's that?" Banner asked curiously.

"Because I'm about to kiss the most amazing guy ever." He smiled as Ari leaned in closer to him and kissed him tenderly. Banner pulled away unexpectedly. "What's wrong?" She asked him.

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "I love you, Ari." She sat up abruptly and hugged her knees to her chest. "Ari?"

"There is only one other person in the world who has ever said that to me." Her voice was barely audible.

Banner sat up as well and noticed tears forming in Ari's grey eyes. "It was your dad, wasn't it?" When she nodded, he embraced her in his arms. He didn't know how she was going to react to those words, but he definitely wasn't expecting this.

Ari didn't actually cry, she just held on to Banner. He was always there for her when she needed him the most. "Thank you," she said at last.

"For what?"

"For putting up with me."

"Ari-"

"Don't tell me that I don't have to thank you because I do," she interrupted him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"Don't worry about it." Banner kissed the top of Ari's head and, together, they laid back down.

They faced each other, not saying a word. He took her hand and smiled reassuringly.

Banner was the first to fall asleep, as usual. Ari gently ran her hand through the sleeping man's dark hair. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "I love you, Bruce."


	12. Chapter 12

"It's now or never," Natasha Romanoff said to him. "The whole team will be there. _She_ will be there. This is the moment we've been waiting for."

"I don't know about this, Tash," Agent Barton replied. "She's only got a few weeks left here."

"The sooner we get rid of her, the better." Her voice was cold.

It was movie night. All of the Avengers would be there. It was the perfect opportunity for them to expose Ari.

* * *

Steve Rodgers was too busy dodging Ari's hits and kicks to worry about his untied shoelace. By the time he had even noticed it, it was too late. He tripped and fell flat on his face. Ari was still laughing when she extended her hand to him. Instead of pulling him up, he pulled her down. "That's what you get for laughing at me," he said.

Ari just laughed even harder. "That's what _you_ get for not tying your shoes very well. Steve rolled his eyes and began to laugh as well.

Once their laughter had finally died down, Steve asked, "What's with you and Dr. Banner?"

Although she kept her face calm, Ari was panicking on the inside. "What do you mean?" She hoped that he had not noticed the slight waver in her voice.

"It just seems like you two are always together."

"Oh, um, I've been helping him with an experiment." It was the first thing she could come up with.

"What kind of experiment?" Steve pressed.

"Some sort of chemical experiment." It wasn't a complete lie.

Steve nodded but didn't say anything for the longest time. "Do you know what movie we're watching tonight?" He asked.

"Nope," Ari said simply.

"That's what I figured." He stood up. "I have to go. Tony wants me to help him with something." He left the room without another word. Ari was surprised by his abrupt departure.

She stayed there on the floor, picking at her fingernails. How was she supposed to tell Banner that she would be leaving in only three more weeks? How was he going to react when she told him about her mission? These questions terrified Ari and sometimes even haunted her dreams.

Ari stood up and subconsciously walked up the many flights of stairs to the roof. She sat down, her feet dangling off the edge. She had been coming up here lately whenever she needed to think. She always felt more at ease from great heights.

Ari closed her eyes. She inhaled as the wind whipped her hair around her face. She exhaled when it died down. Even from way up high, she could hear the sounds of the busy New York City streets below her. _I am really going to miss this_, she thought.

"I thought I might find you up here." Ari smiled at the sound of Banner's voice.

"I'm not very hard to find in the first place," she said, standing up.

Ari walked over to the place where Banner stood. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around her waist. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ari leaned up on her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss.

"So, I've been thinking-"

"Of course, you have," she said sarcastically.

"I think we should tell everyone tonight," Banner finished.

"Tell who about what?"

"The team about us." Banner waited for her reply. She did nothing but stare at him at confusion. "It's movie night, so everyone will be there. We'll be to get it done and over with fairly quick."

A smile lit up Ari's face. "You really think we should tell them?" Banner nodded. Ari kissed him again with joyful force.

"So, I'm guessing you're okay with it?" He laughed.

"Obviously," she replied.

Hand in hand, they took the elevator down a few floors. However, they let go when they saw Agent Romanoff standing at the front of the room. The rest of the Avengers were seated around her. Ari and Banner looked at each other in confusion.

"It's so nice of you to join us," Natasha said to them.

Agent Barton stood next to her. "Tash, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her.

"Sit down, Clint," she snapped.

_It's obvious who wears the pants in that relationship,_ Ari thought to herself, fighting back her laughter.

"What's going on?" Banner asked at last.

"Maybe you should ask your girlfriend over there." Agent Romanoff's voice had a sharp edge to it.

Banner turned to face Ari; a look of confusion on his face. "What's she talking about?"

Ari didn't take her eyes off the red-head. "How did you find out?"

"That's not important," Natasha answered. "What _is _important is the fact that you're a spy!"

"You have got to be kidding me," Tony laughed. "There is absolutely no way that Ari, _our_ Ari, is a spy. Thor laughed haughtily in agreement.

No one else laughed. They all just stared at Ari; waiting for an explanation. "Ari?" Banner asked.

She sighed, knowing Natasha had won this battle. "I've been training for this mission since I was sixteen. Of course, I never actually had to do anything until the Avengers were officially assembled… SHIELD sent me here to keep an eye on all of you, to make sure that you weren't planning anything against them." Ari turned to Banner. "You have to know that I would never do anything to help Fury or SHIELD. I wasn't acting through any of it. The friendships that I've made here are real."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Banner asked suddenly. "Why did I have to find out like this?"

"I'm sorry." Ari was on the verge of tears. "I was going to tell you, I really was! I just didn't know how to tell you."

Banner just shook his head, not being able to process, to understand, what he was hearing. He turned around and walked away without another word.

One by one, the rest of the Avengers began to follow his lead. They all pushed their way around Ari, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Steve?" Ari asked pleadingly as he walked past her.

He stopped for a moment and turned to face her. "You should have told us." Then, he followed he rest of his team.

Ari stood there in the middle of the empty room. _I'm not going to cry_, she told herself. _I am not going to cry._ She fell to her knees and cried.


	13. Chapter 13

After the "meeting," Banner had gone to his room to calm down. It all he had not to let the monster out. He kept asking himself the same questions over and over again. _Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she tell anyone? _Most importantly, _Why did I walk away when she needed me the most?_ It was the second time that he had hurt her.

Frustrated with himself, Banner figured that he should go talk to Ari. His instincts told him to go to the roof. She liked to be up high after stressful situations.

He ascended the stairs, not trusting himself enough to take the elevator. After what felt like hours, he opened the door to the roof and stepped outside. Ari was no where to be found. Banner looked to the skies. She wasn't there either.

Banner sighed as he turned around and went back the way he came. This time he went to the training room, thinking that Ari might want to let off some steam. The only person there was Steve. "Have you seen Ari?" Banner asked the captain.

"No," he replied. "Did you check her room?"

"I was heading there next."

Banner was about to turn around and walk away when Steve said, "You really care about her, don't you?"

"There's a lot more to it than that," he answered after a moment.

"I knew it." Banner began to walk away, but was, again, interrupted. "Make sure she's all right, Banner."

"I will." He turned and was finally able to make his way down another floor to Ari's room.

Banner softly knocked on her door. "Ari? Are you in there?" There was no reply.

He slowly turned the doorknob and walked into Ari's bedroom. What he saw shocked him. The room was empty except for a bed, dresser, and nightstand.

Banner pulled open one of the dresser drawers only to find it completely empty. All of her clothes and sketchbooks were gone. He looked around the room. Her books were missing from the bookshelf. Banner came to realize that all of Ari's personal belongings were gone. Ari was gone.

He sat down on the bare mattress and put his head in his hands. _How could she be gone? She can't just leave…_

Banner picked up the only thing Ari had left behind, the lamp on the nightstand, and hurled it at the wall across from him, shattering it into hundreds of tiny little pieces of glass. He sat down again. _Stay calm, Bruce. Stay calm. _The last thing he needed was to unleash the Hulk.

As he stood up, finally ready to leave Ari's deserted room, Banner noticed that the nightstand drawer was open slightly. He pulled it open some more to find a folded up piece of paper with his name written on it.. He took it from the drawer, realizing that it wasn't just one paper, but two.

Banner unfolded the first to reveal one of Ari's drawings. This one he was familiar with. It was the drawing of him and Ari standing on the roof of Stark Tower after their first flight together. The memory of it made him smile slightly.

He put the detailed drawing aside on the bed and opened the next piece of paper. It was a letter in Ari's hand. Banner slowly read it to himself, savoring every single word.

_Bruce,_

_I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way. I really was going to tell you, I just didn't know how. I tried to get out of doing the mission after my dad died, but Fury wouldn't let me. I'm kind of glad of that. If it weren't for you, I never would have met you._

_When Fury found out that my mission had been compromised, he pulled me out as fast as he could. He sent SHIELD agents to help me pack up my things and haul them out of the building. I didn't want to leave, but Fury gave me no choice. He wouldn't even let me say good-bye, so I wrote you this letter without him knowing and hid it in hope that you would find it._

_I don't know much about it yet, but my next mission is to track down some kid named Peter Parker. Apparently, Fury wants him to be the next Avenger. You'd think he would learn that adding people to the Avengers isn't such a great idea._

_Bruce, please promise me that you won't do anything stupid. You are not the Hulk. The Hulk does not control you. You and the Hulk are two separate beings. And don't you dare blame yourself for my leaving. It's not your fault. If you're looking for someone to blame, make it Fury. He's at fault for a lot of things in my life and probably some on yours too._

_I'm really going to miss you, Bruce. If I can gat away with it, I'm going to try to write to you on a somewhat regular basis. Unless you don't want me to, of course…_

_To tell you the truth, I think I'm always going to love you. It may not be in the same way that I love you now, but it will always be there. You changed me, Bruce. I don't know how, exactly, but I do know that I'm different now than I was when I first came to Stark Tower._

_So, I guess this is good-bye… for now. Look to the skies. I love you._

_-Ari_

Banner reread Ari's letter over and over again. He could almost hear her voice as he read her words.

Sighing as he did, Banner stood up and put the drawing and the letter into his back pocket. He took one last look at Ari's room before closing the door behind him.

Banner didn't remember making the trip up the stairs, but he somehow found himself on the roof. It was lit only by the silver light of the moon. He pulled out Ari's letter and reread the last few lines. _Look to the skies,_ it said. Banner did just that.

There she was. Her magnificent black wings were illuminated by the moon. She flew with such grace and beauty.

Banner felt the sting of tears in his eyes, but none fell. "I'll always love you, Ari," he whispered. "Always."

The End.

* * *

**Bruce and Ari's story continues in _Falling_. Thanks for all the great reviews!**


End file.
